In the afternoon, Emperor Kangxi and Consort Tong were enjoying the cool air in the garden when Yinzhi and Qingyan's carriage entered the imperial palace. Li Dequan received the news, and Emperor Kangxi nodded slightly, asking Yinzhi and Qingyan to come and report. He did not intend to hide anything from Consort Tong.
Under the circumstances he anticipated, Longkodo should have gotten involved.
The carriage stopped at the entrance of the garden. When Yin helped Qingyan get off the carriage, he deliberately leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Don't tell your mother."
After reporting back, Yin pointed out that Kangxi would think he was worried about his mother. If Qingyan did this, it might make Kangxi suspect that Ulanara was also involved.
She straightened her casual clothes, then, wearing flowerpot-soled shoes, followed Yin into the garden.
Just now, she changed into casual clothes in the inner chamber of the carriage. In front of Emperor Kangxi, she tried to wear as little Hanfu as possible.
The gardens of the imperial palace were modeled after the imperial gardens, but they are more exquisite and have a wider variety of flowers.
The garden is shaped like a giant Chinese character, with a pavilion in the center. Emperor Kangxi and Consort Tong are sitting inside the pavilion, which is surrounded by bright yellow gauze curtains that flutter in the wind, allowing glimpses of what is happening inside.
"Fourth Brother, this place is so beautiful," Qingyan said enviously.
Each time we visit the palace, we rarely have the chance to wander around. The children should have come here before.
"If you like it, you can come and visit more often. The two children should really like it here. Recently, in Bieyuan, they pointed out quite a few areas where the garden needs improvement." Yin led her little hand toward the pavilion. Su Peisheng found a mahogany tray in the carriage, on which were several account books sent by Erlu, covered with a bright yellow handkerchief.
The two entered the pavilion, bowed respectfully, and Kangxi nodded to Yinzhen. Su Peisheng then presented a tray.
Emperor Kangxi personally lifted the silk handkerchief, revealing several account books underneath. He reached out and picked one up, glancing through it briefly. The amounts recorded on it caused him to frown slightly.
When he reached the last page, Kangxi's face was so dark it seemed to drip ink.
"Fourth Prince, have you looked at this ledger?" Kangxi stared intently at Yin, wanting to know if he had.
Yin shook his head cautiously. What he said was true. He hadn't read the whole thing. He only had Qingyan calculate one book with an abacus, and then he discovered that there was a big problem.
Emperor Kangxi nodded in satisfaction. According to the records above, almost all the officials in the capital were implicated, including members of the Hesheli clan and the Tong family.
"Li Dequan, go get the abacus," Kangxi said, glancing at him directly. The four people present were the ones he trusted most. There were five account books on the tray, and it would be difficult for one person to calculate them in a short period of time.
Qingyan hesitated, not wanting to get too involved, after all, she wanted to avoid suspicion.
"Don't worry, Xiao Guai, stay and help out. Fei Yanggu despises gambling the most." Kangxi would occasionally play a game of dice with the princes, and Fei Yanggu would always look at it with disdain.
Qingyan was embarrassed. Yin knew how to play dice, and she was often provoked by his words. She would play a few rounds with Yin, and she would always lose miserably.
"What the fourth prince knows, the other princes will basically know as well. At the very least, they won't be fooled by cheaters," Kangxi explained with a smile.
Instantly, Qingya's expression turned sour, while Yin chuckled unkindly.
Emperor Kangxi and Consort Tong exchanged a glance. The older generation would not interfere in the young couple's enjoyment.
"Father, is it wrong for us to make these calculations?" Yin was worried that the Crown Prince might have been involved. In the account books that Qingyan was looking through, there were only the names of Suo'etu's two sons.
snort!
Emperor Kangxi gave a heavy snort. The Crown Prince was becoming increasingly out of line, accepting women and bribes from salt merchants.
Either way, they've crossed Kangxi's bottom line, so the Crown Prince can't come out for the time being.
"Don't worry about it. Everyone has to take responsibility for their own actions," Kangxi said directly.
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Dequan walked in carrying three abacuses.
"Little darling, have Sulan bring your abacus in. Fei Yanggu has been showing off; you always carry an abacus in your carriage." Kangxi also wanted to see Qingyan's jade abacus. It was said that each abacus bead was made of the finest mutton-fat jade, which made Fei Yanggu very envious.
Waaaaah!
Qingyan's cheeks flushed. Fei Yanggu had been eyeing that abacus for a long time and had asked for it several times, but Qingyan had not given it to him easily.
"Your Majesty, I found that abacus one bead at a time. Since you don't use it often, I found him a similar one, but he's still envious of mine." Qingyan pouted.
In front of Emperor Kangxi, she often acted like a child, making him think that she was no different from before. Because of Fei Yanggu, Emperor Kangxi was much more kind to Qingyan. Compared with his other consorts, Emperor Kangxi doted on her very much.
"Sulan, go and get the abacus." Qingyan had put the abacus from her spatial storage into the carriage's cabinet. Luckily, she had used it on the way and had just left it there.
Su Lan left from under the pavilion. Qing Yan watched as Kangxi personally distributed account books, one for each person, with the richest one placed in front of Qing Yan.
"When it comes to accounting, Qingyan is an expert. Take a look at this ledger. If you have any questions, don't worry about them. Just speak up. Once you've finished discussing today's ledger in the pavilion, just forget about it," Kangxi said, looking at Qingyan.
"Yes, Father Emperor!" Qingyan was very obedient and kept her mouth shut, so Kangxi trusted her very much.
Soon, Qingyan brought over her jade abacus. Kangxi glanced at it amidst his busy schedule and sighed inwardly. The sound of her abacus was crisp, like the sound of jade striking jade.
Qingyan put down the abacus, opened the account book, and started calculating very quickly. Qingyan had studied mental arithmetic, and using mental arithmetic and abacus methods to calculate accounts could save a lot of time.
Kangxi carefully observed Qingyan's accounting, and Yin was not exaggerating at all; the speed was indeed very fast.
He had heard from his informant at the Fourth Prince's residence that the Ministry of Revenue account books that Yin Jie brought back were basically calculated by Qing Yan, which would give Yin Jie most of the time.
Consort Tong was also very good at using the abacus. After all, the affairs of the inner palace required the use of an abacus for accounting. Kangxi and Yinzhi only knew how to use it, but their speed was much slower.
"Qingyan is very good at using the abacus. Hurry up and calculate it. Fourth Prince, you keep the books over there, and my Lanya will do the calculations." Kangxi calculated a few pages and thought she was obviously slowing him down.
Ultimately, Kangxi decided that he and his son would record the acceptable number.
After the four divided the work, the speed at which they reviewed the ledgers increased significantly. Yin was holding a new ledger and recording suspicious amounts. The names on the ledgers might not be real, but some could be guessed as to who they were.
Kangxi's account books recorded even more officials in the capital, and the name of Lingpu's youngest son was also prominently listed.
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